Cato Institute on Federal Opioid Policy

[drusso]

Making the Case, Once Again, That the Opioid Crisis is a Product of Drug Prohibition, Not Doctors Prescribing to Patients

"President Trump and most state and local policymakers remain stuck on the misguided notion that the way to stem the overdose rate is to clamp down on the number and dose of opioids that doctors can prescribe to their patients in pain, and to curtail opioid production by the nation’s pharmaceutical manufacturers. And while patients are made to suffer needlessly as doctors, fearing a visit from a DEA agent, are cutting them off from relief, the overdose rate continues to climb. The overdose crisis has always primarily been a product of drug prohibition—not of doctors treating patients."

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[hyperalgesia]

Ah yes, the Cato institute. Funded by the Koch brothers. Something tells me they have no problem with the ongoing decimation of the white working class by opioids so long as cheap labor continues to flood across the border and “free trade” guts what’s left of our manufacturing base.

Some Wall Street junk bond trader gets to buy another house in the Hamptons and another 19 yo from Ohio ends up face down in the sand in some godforsaken middle eastern ****hole. Nothing to see here- just keep reading the WSJ editorial page.

The Dow is up! Libertarianism FTW

- ex 61N

Why does everything come down to the "Koch Brothers" or the NRA? This is a valid opinion being presented. I don't agree with it but it there's no need to bring straw men into the picture.

I don't think the "overdose crisis" is due to docs overprescribing OR to drug policy/prohibition.

 

[Dares Dareson]

Why does everything come down to the "Koch Brothers" or the NRA? This is a valid opinion being presented. I don't agree with it but it there's no need to bring straw men into the picture.

I don't think the "overdose crisis" is due to docs overprescribing OR to drug policy/prohibition.

It's not really a straw man argument here. The Cato Institute has a very well-known conservative/libertarian agenda. Therefore, any comments they have on scientific or medical issues like drug addiction are geared towards advancing this agenda. I don't see any point in acknowledging articles like these, unless you share this agenda and you want some confirmation bias.

 

[SSdoc33]

It's not really a straw man argument here. The Cato Institute has a very well-known conservative/libertarian agenda. Therefore, any comments they have on scientific or medical issues like drug addiction are geared towards advancing this agenda. I don't see any point in acknowledging articles like these, unless you share this agenda and you want some confirmation bias.

he shares this agenda

 

[drusso]

he shares this agenda

Is Harper's Liberal enough for you?

[Report] | The Pain Refugees, by Brian Goldstone | Harper's Magazine

"The story seems straightforward: Pressured, manipulated, or otherwise bought off by the pharmaceutical industry, medical providers got millions of patients hooked on pain pills. Those patients soon craved the high of cheaper (and deadlier) drugs, such as heroin. Now, in order to reverse this trend, the flow of narcotic painkillers must be stemmed at the source — that is, back in doctors’ offices and hospitals. Elevated to the status of conventional wisdom by journalists and politicians, this account has come to define the nation’s response to the opioid crisis. The only problem, according to a growing group of experts, is that it is deeply misleading — not so much false as shot through with half-truths and a discomfort with ambiguity."

BTW, I support the CDC guidelines and worked to bring them to fruition in my state. Still, many proponents of the guidelines have parroted collectivist socialized medicine ideas and methods that should be questioned.

 

[SSdoc33]

Is Harper's Liberal enough for you?

[Report] | The Pain Refugees, by Brian Goldstone | Harper's Magazine

"The story seems straightforward: Pressured, manipulated, or otherwise bought off by the pharmaceutical industry, medical providers got millions of patients hooked on pain pills. Those patients soon craved the high of cheaper (and deadlier) drugs, such as heroin. Now, in order to reverse this trend, the flow of narcotic painkillers must be stemmed at the source — that is, back in doctors’ offices and hospitals. Elevated to the status of conventional wisdom by journalists and politicians, this account has come to define the nation’s response to the opioid crisis. The only problem, according to a growing group of experts, is that it is deeply misleading — not so much false as shot through with half-truths and a discomfort with ambiguity."

BTW, I support the CDC guidelines and worked to bring them to fruition in my state. Still, many proponents of the guidelines have parroted collectivist socialized medicine ideas and methods that should be questioned.

im not disagreeing with you, im just giving the posters some background on your.... background.

i actually agree that whats more important is the CONTENT than the SOURCE.

 

[SeniorWrangler]

I've dug into Cato articles a few times on areas I'm interested in and found them to be pretty shoddy work -- lots of selective quoting of articles to support a predetermined conclusion. Doesn't make that conclusion wrong, but I am reluctant to spend much time on Cato for that reason. What does the article suggest as a good libertarian way to deal with the opioid crisis? Legalizing heroin?